Life just got a little better with my A99V
As I wrote in my for former blog post about WIFI enabling cards, is the EYE-FI card fulfilling a blank spot at my Sony Alpha A99V feature palette. If you also dislike having to plug your camera to a computer with a cable to transfer your pictures to the computer then wireless is what your need, especially when you are shooting studio photos, for that fast snap to your computer or IPAD convenience, EYE-FI really is the enabler.
This time it is EYE-FI’s latest and top card. The EYE-FI MOBI Pro 32 GB. EYE-FI claims this to be “The Ultimate WIFI SD CARD”, It comes with a 1year free EYE-FI cloud offering and it am thrilled to shoot with it.
EYE-FI features a capability matrix enabling you to see which card is for your camera
At first glance
It comes in a nice package, including a USB SD card reader, a SD card, of what feels like a good quality. The card enables you toggle the write-protection on an off by a small micro switch on the side.
The software was an easy download from the EYE-FI website, and registration to their cloud services went smooth. Setting the options of the software was a little more cumbersome, as the general handling lacks severely on the user-friendly side.
It comes with all sorts of Web enabled services enabling you to upload to Social Medias Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or your favourite social network. It comes with 1-year free subscription to EYE-FI cloud service. It supports geo-tagging, and transfers JPG files and RAW files with an amazing speed.
Battery consumption seems to be improved, it is my feeling that the card seems to consume less battery than its predecessor did.
Connecting is easy
as it supports connecting over your router or in direct mode network support. When you are not at home is the card exposing itself as a WIFI hotspot. This is pretty as it allows for a flexible shift between a domestic setup and remote locations where you might want to send to your iPad. The integrated 802.11b/g/n module has a range of 13 metres, operates on the 2.4 GHz band and supports WEP, WPA and WPA2-PSK encryption. Transfer speed seems much improved compared to the PRO X2. And operates at ultra-fast class 10.
Under advanced is it possible to select if the card should enable selective and raw transfer. As well as you can configure which network the card connects when in your domestic situation.
The downside
- The software coming with EYE-FI is not wonderful, I mean it works but it does not blow you away, and it is a shame, with a boost in stability and in user-friendliness, it could have been so much more.
- It also claims real estate on your screen, at the same place where other programs pops up, and it refuses to yield to another app.
- The network do not support 5 GHz band
- Does not support Windows Phone.
- Write times is frustrating, the card is not fast enough for burst photography.
Looking at the wallet
EYE-FI is not only for the demanding professional, but also for the enthusiastic amateur photographer. It gives a range of web enabling features, which distance it from its competitors. I could have wished that this the card also allowed tethering between the camera and the computer over the WIFI. Its price tag of 99$, it is at the higher end, but it delivers to its promises and it comes with my strong recommendations.
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